UNESCO, ILO funded tourism project benefits locals

Quang Nam (VNA) – The responsible and sustainable tourism development project, sponsored by UNESCO and the International Labour Organisation (ILO), has helped promote poverty reduction and improve livelihoods for locals in the central provinces of Quang Nam and Thua Thien-Hue.

The assessment was made at a workshop in Quang Nam’s Hoi An city on April 26 to summarise the two-year implementation of the project.

The 900,000 USD project began in January 2014, equipping tour operators and locals with skills needed to raise their incomes while preserving their cultural values. It has focused on remote, rural areas and ethnic-inhabited areas in the two localities.

The project has also developed environmentally-friendly tourism products, improved human resources for the sector and strengthened the role of culture and heritage in sustainable development.

Tour operators and localities where tourism is being developed agreed that it is difficult to expand responsible tourism in accordance with each locality’s characteristics, as they have different tourism resources and their communities have different levels of awareness of social responsibility.

Therefore, the development of responsible tourism should be planned thoroughly, based on each locality’s demands. Local people should also improve their awareness of preserving and promoting cultural values and protecting the environment.-VNA